The Survivor

There’s a house on Beach Road on Siesta Key that we’ve all driven by a million times. From the road it looks simple enough, almost bland and old fashioned. But there is a definite wow factor here — the incredible location.  It’s the closest house to the best beach in the country.

It’s one of a handful of homes directly to the north of Siesta Key Public Beach. The other homes are newer and fancier. Several have rooftop swimming pools. But our Home of the Month has been there the longest. It’s been through everything — changing tastes, real estate boom and bust and, most recently Hurricane Irma, which it came through with flying colors.

It’s the survivor.

Not only does it have the closest lot to the beach, it has the best lot. With no buildings to its south, there’s a secondary view to delight vacationers. Not only can you look out to a picture postcard panorama of blue and green gulf waters right in front of you, but just turn your head to the left and you can see an equally pleasing vista down the curve of the beach itself. Sea vegetation and a park-like area hide the parking lot, with just a glimpse of the architecturally significant beach pavilion. In the distance are some unobtrusive high-rises. Nothing hems you in.

You’re not only at the best beach in the country, you’re in the VIP box.

If the exterior of the house doesn’t give much away, the interior welcomes you with the promise of a perfect vacation. It’s a classic 20th century American beach house, simple and authentic. You enter into an enormous great room (20-by-39 feet) that serves as living room, dining room and kitchen. The ceiling is vaulted and airy, and sliding glass doors open to a wide screen porch overlooking the beach. There’s nothing fancy about this porch, and that’s what makes it so perfect.

This is definitely a vacation house. The openness of the plan encourages the close interaction that make family gatherings a success. But even if the family gets to be a little too much, you can hide out in one of the bedrooms. There are two on the main level, tucked just far enough away for privacy and each with its own bath. And up a spiral staircase is a loft bedroom that would be a perfect place to stick the kids and their cousins. This bedroom has the novelty of two separate bathrooms, at opposite ends of the room.

One question comes to mind: The house has a great location, but is it perhaps too great? Too public? Do surrounding activities and vacationers intrude? The answer is a definite no. You are buffered to a large degree by beach vegetation. There is an empty lot between you and the beach itself, on which nothing can be built. Beachgoers are far enough away to be part of the scenery, not noisy participants in your own fun.

The house is owned by a local attorney and his wife who originally bought it as a vacation place for themselves. But as their interest in boating grew they bought another home, this one on a canal with a dock, and began to rent out the beach place. Today, it has become one of the premier rentals on the Key, with glowing online reviews and a nice income for the owners.

What will happen to the house? It may well be bought by an investor who continues to rent it out as is. (There are no rental restrictions such as those imposed by a homeowners association.) It may be bought and transformed into a more glamorous and up-to-date version of itself. Or it may also — alas — be torn down and replaced by an ultramodern showplace with a swimming pool on the roof. That would be some view from your tiki bar.